A richly historic man made waterway, the Great Dismal Swamp Canal MegaSite is dedicated to the enslaved and free men that built the oldest made waterway in America. Now recognized as part of the National Underground Railroad, this historic waterway is a national treasure and the basis of this website.

All of the photos of the Great Dismal Swamp are from collections we have access too, from private collections and from those supporters that have graciously given much of their time in restoration and study of the Great Dismal Swamp. I wish I could give credit herein where credit is due, but I simply do not know the full history of each photo and it's origin. I do however wish to thank Mr. George Ramsey, for which many contributions to this content were graciously provided by him. I know there are others and I am happy to include more information should it be given to me.

Be sure to read George Ramsey article in our articles Section.

Casey Holtzinger's 1910 watercolor of the Deep Creek Locks which connects Deep Creek to the Great Dismal Swamp Canal.

PhotoGraph of Wallaceton in the late 1800's. George T. Wallace, Esq. of Glencoe and his sons had timber and lumber company Wallace & Sons. Their mill is the large structure on the right bank of the canal in the picture. The post office for the area was in the company store and used "WALLACETON" as the post mark. Wallaceton refers to the stop along the canal the boats used. (West Landing at the end of Cornland Rd., Douglas Landing at the end of Douglas Rd., Wallaceton at the intersection of the Dismal Swamp and Northwest Canals, Stuart's Landing opposite Beechwood, and Lynch's Wharf at the end of Ballachack Rd.) The building in the left foreground is the Superintendent's House.

Lake Drummond Hotel - The Halfway House, situated half on the Virginia line and Half on the North Carolina Line. The video attached is the work of Mr. Jeff Bateman of the DismalswampTrader. Many thanks!

View of the canal as exiting from the North Carolina lock. The dismal swamp canal is an ideal alternative when traveling north/south on the intercoastal waterway passing through the Virginia/North Carolina region. The The canal is mantained by the Army Corp of engineers and is the most direct route from Elizabeth City to Chesapeake. If you are traveling along the Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW) approaching from the Albermarle Sound or the Chesapeake Bay, make it a point to take the Albermarle and Chesapeake Canal as your alternative route. If leaving the Hampton Roads area and sailing South on the Elizabeth River, the enterance to this waterway is just south of I64 High rise bridge overpass. Just follow the signs! Ha Ha! No joke, there is really a sign pointing the navigation way to this wonderful and breathtaking waterway! More information is available at the EagleSpeak website.